Possible 'How I Met Your Mother' Spin-Off Discussed

Carter Bays and Craig Thomas reveal they have joked about a series called 'How I Met Your Father', which would see what happens to the Mother all those years, after the end of 'HIMYM'.

"How I Met Your Mother" bosses have some ideas to keep the spirit of the show alive even after the Mother is unveiled. During an intimate lunch with some news outlets, executive producers Carter Bays and Craig Thomas revealed they have joked about the possibility of making a spin-off based on the comedy series.

"We've had conversations about rewinding back to 2005 and doing a series called 'How I Met Your Father'," Thomas said with a laugh. "From the perspective of what was happening with the Mother all those years. Occasionally, she'll stumble through McLaren's and no one will see her."

Bays threw another possible idea that could be used after fans meet the titular mother. "One way to go is to finish the [mother] story at the end of Season 8, and then Season 9 is, 'Oh, by the way kids, I left some stuff out...,' " he shared. "And then it's just 24 little stories that took place over the course of the series here and there. Like, 'Here's something funny that happened in 2006.' "

Though Craig said these ideas could be more than just "jokes", he and the whole team are now focusing on the original series as they are still figuring out whether to end the show in season eight or nine. "It's a hard thing," Bays chimed in. "Obviously, we don't ever want to keep the show on longer than it needs to, just like we don't want to end it before it should end. But it's the best job any of us have ever had."

Should "HIMYM" live beyond the currently ordered eighth season, Jason Segel is up to extend his gig on the show. "I really agree that I'd like to see the story come to its natural end, whether it's 8 years or 9 years," the Marshall depicter said when attending the TCA press tour. "I was so relieved when I found out there was an actual plan."

As for how Lily and Marshall keep showing up on the series after the parents-to-be move to the suburbs, Bays teased, "We have a solution to that and you'll see how it unfolds." Thomas further detailed, "We're definitely going to explore them realizing that it is a little bit isolating to be out in the suburbs, away from all their friends and the bar, and we're going to see them deal with that in actually the next few episodes that will air. And I think we can say that it's not necessarily a permanent stop."